The present invention relates in general to a data input device, i.e. a keyboard, and a method for encoding data entered through the keyboard.
Keyboards have been employed for many years as data entry devices for computers and the like. Data encoding techniques have also been employed for many years, with the most popular being The American Standard Code for Information Interchange, otherwise known as ASCII, which was created in 1968 on the basis of a keyboard used on a key-punched card mainframe computer. This code is based on eight bit binary representations of the various characters that can be entered on a conventional keyboard.
In recent years, emphasis has been placed on making computers both smaller and more user friendly. In an effort to make computers portable, vendors have marketed lap top computers which can be stored in a briefcase, and employ conventional keyboards that are smaller than normal. Unfortunately, the smaller keyboards are difficult to operate due to the size of the keys.
Although numerous attempts have been made to alter the number, arrangement and function of the keys on a keyboard, none of these attempts appear to have been commercially successful, and the conventional "QWERTY" keyboard remains the standard in the industry. Similarly, the ASCII code remains the industry standard, in spite of the fact that it is not a particularly efficient code.